The Wanderer of the Wastes
by Knight Reginald Wellington IX
Summary: There once was a Courier that wandered the Mojave Wasteland. This is his story. This is my first fanfic. Reviews on how to improve my writing would be greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is my first story. Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. This is the Courier.**

I was walking through the wastes minding my own business when I saw a dead guy dressed in a suit of combat armor in a ditch next to me. I couldn't believe my luck! Free combat armor! That was much better than an old, worn-out duster. I leapt into the ditch to relieve him of his armor and weapons, but as I jumped into the ditch, the ground I was standing in a moment ago erupted into 3 mini plumes of sand. Then I heard a burst of gunfire. I withdrew deeper into the ditch and fumbled for my binoculars. With shaking hands, I managed to get it out of my backpack and focus it on where I heard the shots ring out. I spotted a group of Legionaries walk towards me no more than a few hundred yards away. The Legionary on point was carrying an old pre-war rifle. The rest were wielding 10mm submachine guns. No doubt they were the ones shooting at me.

"Oh shit," I mutter.

I desperately searched for my beat up cowboy repeater, when I spotted a pair of hand grenades next to the body. I snatched one, pulled out the pin, released the safety lever and let it fly. It landed closer to me than it did him. Dazed and with a ringing sound in my ears, I decided to keep the other one when they got closer to me. I grabbed my rifle and got into a shooter stance, lying prone in a ditch. I shouldered my rifle, aimed for the closest SOB and gently squeezed the trigger. Fortunately for me, I didn't miss this time. The Legionnaire crumpled like a sack of potatoes. This doesn't stop the others however; it merely made them rush at me. I rolled over to eject the spent casing and to cycle in a new round. I aimed down my sights and let loose another shot.

"Damn."

I missed. Thinking on my feet, I set up a trap with the last hand grenade. I ripped out the pin, tied some string around it, and attached it to the backside of his armor. They would get a nasty surprise if they flipped his body over. I would have to leave the armor behind though. I grabbed some of his ammo and a stimpak and set off on a mad dash to safety. I heard of the sound of bullets whiz past me and I silently thanked God for their abysmal training in firearms. When they got to the ditch, they looked in for a few seconds and ran towards me. Apparently they didn't fall for my trap, but the time they spent looking at the corpse gave me ample time to reload my rifle and to put one of them in my crosshairs after taking cover in a destroyed pre-war house. I squeezed the trigger yet again and hit him in the left shoulder. He stumbled back a bit but quickly regained his footing. I cursed my poor accuracy and terrible rifle.

"If I make it out of here, I'm selling this piece of shit", I said to myself.

The Legionaries kept advancing towards my position. I turned on my Pip-Boy and looked for the closest friendly settlement. It was Novac.

Too bad it was about a kilometer north of me. I decided to push my luck and kill those assholes before they got anywhere near me. They were now about 50 yards away and closing. I shouldered my rifle and shot the guy closest to me. Luckily, I got him straight in the head. Perhaps my shaky hands helped me that time, but I couldn't think about that at the moment. After seeing two of his comrades die, you would think the last one be running away, but he kept on coming. He was too close for my rifle so I dropped it and unholstered my 9mm pistol. I aligned the front sight on center mass and pulled the trigger.

"Click."

Cursing, I dropped my pistol and pulled out my combat knife. I would have to fight him the only way he knew how. I hid behind the dilapidated wall and waited for him to get close. He walked past the wall, confused. That was all I needed. I jumped on him and while screaming a primal battle-cry, I stabbed him through the neck. I got off of him and while he lay in the dirt gasping for air, I mercifully ended his life by stomping his face in. No sense in wasting a perfectly good bullet on him. The sun was setting. I would have to find some shelter fast. Unfortunately, the sounds of battle and the smell of freshly killed prey brings out many predators.

"That was close."

I gathered my rifle and pistol, reloaded them, and then cleaned my knife on my pants. I tossed the rotting body into a hole and then I covered it in dirt to hide the smell. Then, I set up a small campfire to scare away the beasts that could still smell the corpse. As I sat down to relax and enjoy a sip of purified water, I felt a sharp, stinging pain on the right side of my right knee. The adrenaline coursing through my veins must have stopped my wound from hurting. I looked down and saw a line of blood drip down my leg. Luckily, I was only grazed. I wiped off the blood with a wet handkerchief and looked in my backpack for some healing powder. I poured the satchel on my wound then covered it with a bandage. I slumped down on a rock, wondering why those Legionaries were after me in the first place. I didn't get far. After a few minutes of thinking, I quickly fell asleep.

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed. I changed my dressing then I ate some Cram and a prickly pear fruit and set off to Novac to sell my old rifle.

**A/N I will try to update weekly if I get some constructive criticism. I know I sound like a broken record, but reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

I arrived in the town an hour later. On the way, I was attacked by some Nightstalkers. Knowing full well how dangerous they were, I wisely ran away from them. My gunshot wound from yesterday was hurting like helll, but the adrenaline flowing freely in my bloodstream dampened some of it. They still got my scent though. I had to stand my ground and attack them head on. I ripped my pistol out of my holster and fired 6 rounds at the Nightstalker closest to me. It eked out a few more steps then collapsed, dead. The other Nightstalkers were much smarter than the Legionnaires from yesterday and fled with their tails between their legs. I then continued on my journey, unhindered.

As I walked into town, I saw the massive green dinosaur. It nearly blocked out the sun with its large head. That was where I would sell my rifle.

I walked up the steps and knocked on the door. There was no reply. Sensing how dangerous this could be, I slowly opened the creaking door with one hand, my pistol gripped tightly in the other one. As I walked in the store, the door behind the desk opened and Cliff Briscoe walked out with a broom in his hand. When he saw me, he immediately dropped his broom and I noticed a dark patch engulf the front of his pants.

"Take whatever you want! Please don't kill me," he managed to shriek.

"Cliff, Cliff it's me," I said incredulously.

"Goddamn it! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I knocked on the door but there was no answer so I had to be careful"

"Well be careful in someone else's shop! What do you need?"

"I need to sell my rifle. I'm also in the market for a new one. You have anything for sale?"

"Sure I do. Just wait here, I gotta change my pants."

As he walked past me and out of the store, I heard him mutter to himself, "Crazy kid, almost got me killed."

He came back a few minutes later with a fresh pair of pants and a frown on his face.

"Alright kid, whattaya selling?"

I gingerly removed my rifle from my shoulder and set it on the desk because I didn't want to damage it more than it already was. He looked it over for a few seconds with a bored expression and then said,

"Judging by its condition, it's seen a lot of use. I'm gonna assume it has some sentimental value to you, so I'll be generous. I'll give you four hundred caps."

He was lowballing me. I could feel it in his artificially relaxed demeanor. Doc Mitchell always said I had good perception, but that's a different story.

"That's bullshit and you know it. I'll sell it for 800," I countered.

Cliff soldiered on.

"The stock is bent, the rear sight is misaligned, and the lever is rusted so bad a super mutant wouldn't be able to cycle it."

"550?" I implored.

"Sure." He grasped my hand in a particularly strong handshake and was smiles all around. I couldn't help but smile with him. All I needed was 250 caps. I mentally patted myself on the back. As he let go of my hand, he scrounged around under his desk for a sack of caps. He tossed the jingling bundle to me with a smile.

"Feel free to spend them here, buddy."

"So where's that rifle you were talking about earlier?" I questioned.

His smile shifted imperceptibly for a fraction of a second, but it returned to its cheery state.

"It's here in my shop. Let me go get it for you."

He went to his room in the back of his shop and came out carrying a magnificent service rifle with a large grin. My eyes widened in amazement. The wooden furniture was brand new and it looked like it never fired more than 10 rounds at anything. It also sported an optical sight and extended magazines.

"Impressive huh? It's yours for 900 caps."

I plopped down the 550 and another 350 from my backpack. I was left with 400 caps.

"I would also like a few extra magazines and 120 more rounds."

"That'll cost ya."

I carefully took out 200 caps, my remaining .357 rounds, and an old pre war nudie magazine. He gratefully took all the stuff and put 2 extra magazines and 120 rounds on the counter.

"What are those?" I said, pointing at the small Dinky the Dinosaur toys.

"Those are the coolest toys in the world! Wanna buy one?" He exclaimed excitedly.

"I think I'll pass."

"Darn it. No one ever buys the T-Rexes. Anything else?"

"A room at the hotel please."

"Oh, I don't rent out rooms. You'll have to talk to Jeannie Crawford about that."

He saw the blank look on my face and continued.

"Oh yeah, you must've forgotten. She's in the room next to the Novac sign."

Satisfied, I left the shop with my new rifle. As I walked to the room, I could feel the sun's rays on the back of my head and neck. I had a new rifle, my stomach was full, my wound was beginning to heal, and I was getting some decent lodging. The world felt like a better place, even if only for a brief second.

I knocked on the door to the front office. This time there was a reply.

"Come in!"

I walked in and asked her,

"You must be Jeannie. Can I rent a room?"

"Yes, but please take off your hat when you walk into a room."

I read about etiquette in a few pre-war books, but I wasn't so sure it mattered much in a nuclear wasteland. The fact that she said that and a few other physical cues definitely tipped me off to her real nature. She may be an old lady, but I wouldn't be surprised if she clubbed baby Bighorners for sport. To oblige her, I removed my hat.

"Thank you." She said with a false sweetness in her voice.

"So can I rent a room?"

Say please!"

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Can I rent a room…please?" I said exasperatedly.

"Of course you can. It'll be 200 caps"

That was a steep price.

"How about 150?"

"I own a reputable business young man. I will not haggle for the price of a room with you."

Sighing, I pulled my last sack of caps out of my backpack and set it on the table.

"Thank you. Here is your room key. It is third from the left on the second floor."

I silently grabbed the room key and was about to leave when she spoke up.

"Anything to say young man?"

"Thank you." I sighed.

I was going to say some other choice words to her, but I was afraid of her having duplicate room keys and sneaking up to my room to club me to death.

"You're welcome!"

I stepped out of the room and into the wasteland. I walked up the steps to my room and I unlocked the door. There was a complimentary steak and bottle of water. There were even clean sheets! That certainly is a step up from a dirty, tattered sleeping bag on the sand. I set down my backpack and rifle on the floor and explored the rest of my room. There was also a dresser, partially stocked fridge, first aid kit, and a restroom. I was about to lie down and relax until I suddenly remembered I had no more caps. I would have to find a job to do around here. I put on my backpack, grabbed my new rifle and walked out of my room and back to Cliff's shop to find out about any jobs.

"Hey Cliff. You know any one around here who's hiring?"

"Yeah, I heard the McBride family is worried about some Brahmin rustling. They want the person who did that to pay."

"Sounds easy enough. Where's their house?"

"It's down there. Their house is the only one with a Brahmin pen next to it."

"Thanks Cliff."

"Yeah whatever."

I walked to their house and knocked on the door.

"Come in." An elderly voice said.

I opened the door and spotted an aged couple sitting on a couch.

"Hi, I heard you are worried about someone killing your Brahmin?"

"Oh thank god. Finally, someone is bothering to help us out." The old man said.

"Yeah, no problem. So what do you need?"

"There is someone coming by at the dead of night and killing our Brahmin! I want you to do something about it!"

What a polite guy. I was seriously debating whether to do this job, but it sounded easy enough. It was probably just some dumbass kids from the next town over anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ok, I'll do it."

I was about to walk out of the door when he said,

"Wait! Don't you need more information?"

That was probably a good idea. More knowledge never hurt anyone. Except maybe for the guy I'm hunting down.

"Sure I do."

"Ok, he usually comes in the middle of the night and it sounds like he uses a minigun to slaughter my Brahmin."

"Anything else?"

"No, sorry."

"Alright then, thanks for the info."

"Make sure you get the guy who did this!"

I walked out of the door and back to my room. There was no point in waiting for the guy at 10 in the morning. I opened the door to my room, dropped my stuff on the ground, and jumped on the bed to read a pre war novel.

At 7 in the evening, I finished my book. I polished off a gecko steak, a bottle of water, and set off to the McBride house to finish my job. I sat in front of their house and waited for 6 hours. At 1 o'clock I heard something that sounded like a Stealthboy being activated. That was definitely unusual, so I grabbed my rifle and peeked out to see who it was. I saw nothing. I was about to sit back down again when I heard the sound of a minigun's motor revving up. I jumped up out of my hiding spot and shouldered my rifle. That's when I saw a muzzle flash and a Brahmin moo in pain then dying. I squeezed the trigger once and a burst of gunfire hit the thing square in the chest. He was shocked, but he didn't seem to be mortally wounded. I squeezed off another burst. This time I got lucky and hit it in the face. It dropped its minigun and started to hold its face in agony. I saw my opportunity to take it down for good. I pulled the trigger as fast as I could while walking towards it. It shuddered and stumbled backwards then fell down, dead.

I walked over to the corpse. It looked like a supermutant, but this one was different. It was bluish white, but I didn't care. I got my job done. I picked up the minigun, 49 rounds of ammo, and went back to the McBride house to claim my reward.

I knocked then opened the door. I walked in to see a hunting rifle pointed at my face.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were one of the guys who were killing my Brahmin. It sounded like a war zone out there! Did you kill him?"

"Not him, it."

"It?"

"Yes, IT was a supermutant."

"Alright then, thanks for the help!" He said pushing me out the door.

"Wait, wait, wait. I almost got killed. Don't I get a reward? When people do something for you, you are expected to pay them back in services or caps."

"He's such a nice young man." Alice McBride said. "Give him something Dusty!"

"The mutant still got one of my Brahmin!"

"Dusty, you're embarrassing me." She said in a low voice.

"Alright, alright. Here are 50 caps and a Brahmin steak." He said grudgingly.

"Thank you." I said after grabbing the caps and meat.

"What a cheap-ass." I thought to myself after I walked out of his house.

It was in the middle of night and my nerves were frazzled. All I wanted to do was to go home, sleep, and go job-hunting in the morning. As I walked to my room, I wondered if pre-war people had to worry about job hunting.

"Nah, probably not." I said after setting my stuff down and tucking myself into bed.

I woke up at around 7 in the morning. I ate breakfast and walked down to the "Dino-Bite Gift Shop" to see if Cliff had any more jobs for me. I opened the door and walked in, but no one was there. I sat down and thumbed through a "Guns and Bullets" magazine while waiting for Cliff to come. While skimming through the magazine, I felt that my skill with guns was better than before somehow. I couldn't worry about that too much because at that moment Cliff walked in.

"I see you're up early. I heard the commotion last night. Good job getting the supermutant. I think the town is warming up to you."

"Thanks Cliff. I need another job to do. I only have 50 caps."

"Sorry. I don't know of any other jobs around town. Try asking around; maybe the residents will have a job that I don't know about."

"Thanks anyways, Cliff."

I was fresh out of ideas, until a Novac resident passed by and mentioned a sniper in the mouth of the dinosaur. Maybe he had a job! I ran back to the gift shop and up the steps to see if he was still there. I opened the door and was about to say something when he yelled,

"Damn it, don't scare me like that. Wait, you're new here aren't you?"

"Yeah. Do you have a job that needs doing?"

"In fact I do. I want you to find my wife's killer and bring them here so I can get justice."

"Wait, so you're going to trust a stranger to find your wife's killer?"

"Yep. Here's my beret. Bring the person to the front of the dinosaur while wearing the beret and I'll take care of the rest."

I took the beret and walked out of the gift shop.

"Now who would do such a thing?" I pondered.

Then a light bulb in my mind lit up.

"It's probably Jeannie." I thought. "I knew she wasn't any good the day I lay eyes on her, but how the hell was I supposed to prove that she did it?"

I decided to wait until she went back to her house, so I could check the front desk. At approximately 11 P.M, she left the building and back to her house to get a good night's rest. After waiting for 30 minutes to make sure she wasn't just getting something from her house, I snuck into the front desk. There was nothing suspicious up front, so I checked behind the counter. There was a safe. If I killed a woman, that's where I would keep proof of the dirty deed. There was a lock on the safe, however, and I didn't know how to pick locks. I racked my mind for a solution. After a few minutes of thinking, I came up with a solution. I ran to Jeannie's house and rushed in.

"Jeannie come quickly! There's a traveler who got shot at by Legion troops. He said he knows you."

"Really? What's he doing here?"

"I don't know!" I yelled. "He's hurt and he's calling for you by name."

"Ok, I'll come."

She and I rushed out of here house and to the bridge.

"Where is h-"

Her head blew up and showered me in brain matter and blood. I searched her body and I found what I needed, a key to the safe. I ran to the front desk and opened the safe. There it was, a bill of sale. What a sick woman.

"Who sells a woman and her unborn child for 1500 caps?" I thought as walked to the sniper's perch.

I opened the door and met the sniper's frown.

"So that's it. How did you know?"

"I had a feeling she was a sick woman."

"What? You had a hunch?"

"Yeah, I also have a bill of sale."

"Figures they would document this." He scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"What's there to be sorry about? She died a long time ago. Thanks for the help. Here's 100 caps."

"How do you know she's dead?" I said.

"I have a hunch."

I took the caps and walked out of the dinosaur mouth. I now had 150 caps and that was enough for me to get to New Vegas and to find the guy who shot me in the head and left me for dead. But that was for tomorrow, now I had to get some rest before finding "fancy pants" or so Victor said.

**A/N I'm taking a few artistic liberties with the quests, dialogue, and characters as I haven't played Fallout New Vegas in a while.**


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up the next day with the bright, harsh sun shining on my face. It felt like I slept for days. I checked my Pip-Boy. I had only slept for 6 hours. What a surprise. I slowly rose out of my bed, the springs creaking and my back cracking. I hefted my heavy backpack on my shoulders and grabbed my rifle. I walked out of my room and into the wonderful paradise known as the Mojave Wasteland. I walked down the steps and went to the gift shop to see if I could recruit the sniper as a companion. The wastes can be deadly, there's no reason I would wander it alone. I knocked on the door. A gruff voice answered,

"Manny? Are you here to take my shift?"

"No." I answered back. "It's me. I was wondering if you wanted to team up with me."

The door instantly opened. Somehow he looked different. His face wasn't changed, but it seemed like he was more relaxed, clam, less on edge.

"Why not? It sure beats hanging around here, sniping the occasional gecko that strays into town."

He walked out of the perch, gently closing the door as he went into his room. He came back out, laden with supplies.

"I keep this pack within reach for when I need it."

"Great, let's get a move on."

As we walked past Helios One, the sniper asked me,

"Do you want to tell me where we're going?"

"We are going to New Vegas. A man shot me in the head. I plan to exact my justice on him."

"Your form of justice huh? Are you sure you don't mean revenge?" He retorted.

"You know what they say. An eye for an eye." I remarked. "Anyways, how is that any different from you killing your wife's enslaver?"

"It's different because it happened to me."

I didn't think that was a good excuse so I shut up. After a few minutes, the sniper said,

"I didn't get your name."

"My name is… Lazarus."

"Why am I not surprised." He said, shaking his head. "Is that your real name?"

"No. After I got shot, a robot dug me out of my grave. It then took me to a doctor who healed me. He had to go digging around in my head to get the bullet and bone fragments out of my head. Unfortunately, that surgery had an unforeseen side effect. I forgot everything before I got shot. I forgot why I was there, how I got there, and even my name so the doc gave me a new one. He called me Lazarus. He said it was the name of some guy who got resurrected by Jesus a few thousand years ago. Kinda like me." I snorted. "Killed, left for dead, and then resurrected. Now it's my turn. What is your name?"

"My name? My name is Boone."

"Is that your real name?" I asked curiously.

He sighed.

"My real name is Craig. You can call me Boone." He said with a hint of agitation in his voice.

I figured he didn't want any more personal questions directed towards him. I saw a billboard in the distance when Boone took his rifle off his shoulder and looked through the scope.

"Stop! Get down!" Boone hissed.

I crouched down when a bullet pinged off a car sitting next to me.

"They spotted us. Let's go kill 'em."

I agreed completely. I took cover behind the rusting pre-war car and aimed at the guy who seemed to be leading the attack. I couldn't see much through my low power scope, but I could see his armor and weapons. They were rusting and decrepit. These guys were simple bandits. Boone and I can take them on without breaking a sweat. I gently squeezed the trigger and the leader collapsed. The rest of the bandits didn't quit. One of them grabbed the leader's dropped grenade rifle. She aimed it at Boone. I dropped my rifle, ran as fast as I could and pushed Boone out of the way of the incoming grenade. Luckily it was a dud. That's what happens when you buy stuff on the cheap.

"Thanks for the save." He said gratefully.

"You owe me."

I ran back to the car to pick up my rifle. I switched the firing mode to semi-auto with a flick of my index finger. I carefully shot the woman with the grenade rifle in the chest. She flinched but she kept on coming. I shot her again. This time she died for good. I looked around and saw the last two bandits cowering behind the billboard. Boone and I advanced and emptied our magazines into the billboard.

"RELOADING!" He yelled.

At that exact moment, the two bandits bolted towards me. The first one had a butcher's knife. He ran at me and tried to slash me. I jumped back and pulled out my sidearm. I quickly shot him in the abdomen three times. He fell, dead. I was about to holster my pistol when the second one pounced on me. He smelled like filth and cheap booze. He pulled out a kitchen knife and tried to cut my throat. My hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. As I twisted it, I heard the sharp, cracking sound of his wrist bones breaking and his knife dropping. Then, his head exploded. My head turned to see Boone holding his rifle, barrel smoking.

"Thanks for the save." I said.

"Now I don't have to owe you anything."

As we were reloading our weapons, a Legionary hit squad appeared out of nowhere.

"Caesar has marked you for death, and the Legion obeys! Ready yourself for battle!"

"Wait!" I screamed. "Why does he want me dead?"

The Centurion leading the assassins said,

"I will not waste my breath for a profligate, especially not for one who has committed many great crimes against Caesar himself."

I wondered what I did that could be so bad, but I had greater problems at hand. I had to kill these guys. Boone and I leapt behind the nearest car.

"KILL THEM!"

A Legionary ran towards me, wielding a machete. I managed to jump out of the way of his blade, but Boone wasn't so lucky. The Legionary sliced Boone on the stomach. Enraged, Boone jumped on the Legionnaire and chopped his head off with his own machete. While he was doing so, he got shot by an assassin. He rolled off the Legionnaire and took pot shots at the Centurion who was darting towards me. He got a lucky shot, and the Centurion turned around and impaled him with a thermic lance. Boone didn't even have time to scream. It created a massive, burning hole in his chest. I averted my eyes to the horrific sight. When the centurion was done, he resumed his dash to get me. I used the time that Boone bought to run for the hills. As I was running, a Legionary assassin shot me in the leg. I fell, but managed to get back up and limp like mad. Obviously, the Centurion caught up to me and skewered my one good leg. I dropped to the ground and faceplanted the sand. The Centurion rolled me over with his foot, barely managing to conceal his disdain.

"Pathetic. How did you manage to wipe out all of our raid camps west of Novac and all the Legion's finest assassins?" He said with disgust. "No matter. I have you now. Any last words?"

I whispered something. Curious, he leaned towards my face.

"NO!" I screamed. Then I spat in his face.

His face contorted in fury. He grabbed his thermic lance and raised it above my head. The last thing I ever saw was the spinning tip of his weapon. I closed my eyes and everything turned black.

**The End**

**A/N The story has a middle and an end, but it has no beginning. Sorry if I didn't update this story in time. As always, reviews will be highly appreciated.**


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